Surveillance and monitoring system

ABSTRACT

A method and system provides centralized redundant monitoring suitable for effectively recording and tracking video monitoring systems at a plurality of remote surveillance locations. The method and system are configured to track, monitor, capture, and record video originating from transportation vehicles using a novel technological configuration that minimizes overall and sub-system downtime relative to conventional technologies. The remote surveillance locations are capable of utilizing self-healing and recovery mechanisms and reporting status information to the centralized monitoring system. The centralized monitoring system can use information received from the remote surveillance locations to remotely monitor the status of the remote surveillance systems, to initiate remotely self-healing and recovery mechanisms, and request previously recorded surveillance data and live surveillance data in real time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, co-pending U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/302,416, filed Mar. 2, 2016, for allsubject matter common to both applications. The disclosure of saidprovisional application is hereby incorporated by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Redundant monitoring systems suitable for effectively recording andtracking video monitoring systems at remote locations are provided. Inparticular, the monitoring systems track, monitor, capture, and recordvideo originating from transportation vehicles using a noveltechnological configuration that minimizes overall and sub-systemdowntime relative to conventional technologies.

BACKGROUND

Generally, conventional surveillance systems are closed loop systemsthat require downloading of any captured video when the system isreturned to a home station. For example, a video surveillance system ona public transportation bus may be configured to capture video on and/oraround the bus and the captured video can be collected once the bus hasreturned to the service depot. Public transportation vehicles (such as abus or train) are typically equipped with some combination ofconventional surveillance and monitoring systems, including audio andvideo capturing devices, Computer Aided Dispatch/Automatic VehicleLocation (CAD/AVL) systems, and other safety monitoring systems (e.g.,monitoring bus driver speed/activity). However, these surveillance andmonitoring systems and technologies experience some shortcomings. Onesuch example is that closed looped surveillance systems are notconfigured to be monitored remotely. As a result, in the event that avideo capturing device is down, the managing system or party isgenerally not aware that the video system is not operating as desireduntil the captured video (or lack of captured video) is removed orattempted to be removed (e.g., downloaded) from the closed loopdevice(s) upon the vehicle's return to a central hub or dispatch. When adetermination is made that video is not capturing properly and/or thecaptured data is corrupt or lost, the effected vehicle or device must betaken out of the active rotation (e.g., for service) until the problemis identified and resolved. In the public transportation industry, or inother industries (such as rental cars or other monitored fleetvehicles), taking a vehicle or device out of an active rotation becausethe surveillance or monitoring system is not functioning properly cancause significant issues for the transit service provider (e.g., delays,decreased volume of vehicles, etc.). In another example, if a closedloop device is away from the central hub, the captured video is notaccessed until the device(s) are returned to the central hub, thuscausing scenarios where lengthy time periods may occur with no videocaptured (e.g., because a recording device ran out of space) and/orbefore a video can be reviewed.

SUMMARY

There is a need for an improved reliable, redundant, self-recovery,surveillance and monitoring system technology that reduces instances oflost data or information, and optimizes time in service (correspondinglyminimizing down time). The present invention is directed toward furthersolutions to address this need, in addition to having other desirablecharacteristics. Specifically, the present invention relates to a remotesurveillance system capable of self-healing with recovery mechanisms andstatus reporting to a centralized storage system. The centralizedstorage system can monitor the status of the remote surveillance system,remotely repair the remote surveillance system, and request previouslyrecorded surveillance data and live surveillance data in real timewithout requiring the vehicle to return to a particular location (suchas a central hub or depot) to recover or download the recordedsurveillance data.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, avehicle remote surveillance system is provided. The vehicle remotesurveillance system includes a plurality of components configured formounting and operation in a vehicle. The plurality of components includea video recorder implemented on a video recording device with aprocessor, a computing device having a processor, the computing devicecommunicatively coupled with the video recorder, and a centralizedsurveillance system configured distal from the plurality of components.The centralized surveillance system is communicatively coupled with atleast one of the plurality of components configured for mounting in thevehicle. The centralized surveillance system also compares dataconfirming whether a separate system that is not part of the pluralityof components is operating in real-time on the vehicle with dataconfirming whether the vehicle remote surveillance system is operatingin real-time on the vehicle.

In some implementations the computing device includes a plurality ofinputs and outputs. The video recording device further includes at leastone data storage mechanism. In some implementations, the plurality ofcomponents further include at least one accelerometer configured foroperation in a vehicle. In some implementations, the separate systemthat is not part of the plurality of components includes a ComputerAided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system. In someimplementations, the at least one video capturing device is configuredto stream video data to the video recorder. In some implementations, apower controller configured to manage power to at least one of theplurality of components in the vehicle remote surveillance system.

In some implementations, the plurality of components are configured formounting and operation including the plurality of components beingrepeatedly operable in temperature ranges between −40° C. and 75° C. Insome implementations, the plurality of components further include ageolocation device. In some implementations, the centralizedsurveillance system receives status information for the vehicle from atleast one of the plurality of components. In some implementations, thecentralized surveillance system accesses available data associated withthe vehicle from the vehicle remote surveillance system and derived fromthe separate system that is not part of the plurality of components. Insome implementations, the centralized surveillance system verifies areal-time operating status of the vehicle based on a comparison ofstatus information from the vehicle remote surveillance system for thevehicle and available data associated with the vehicle from a remotesystem and derived from the separate system that is not part of theplurality of components.

In some implementations, when one of the plurality of components istriggered to send out an alert notification, the centralizedsurveillance system receives the alert notification and records thealert notification. In some implementations, when the centralizedsurveillance system records more than a threshold number of alertnotifications occurring within a predetermine period of time for one ormore of the plurality of components, the centralized surveillance systemoutputs a service alert notification.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a vehiclesurveillance system is provided. The vehicle monitoring system includesa self-healing and recovery mechanisms component and a plurality ofcomponents configured for mounting and operation in a vehicle. Theplurality of components include at least one monitoring or sensingdevice, a computing device having a processor, the computing devicecommunicatively coupled with the at least one monitoring or sensingdevice, and a centralized surveillance system configured distal from theplurality of components, the centralized surveillance systemcommunicatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of componentsconfigured for mounting and operation in a vehicle. When the at leastone of the plurality of components communicatively coupled with thecentralized surveillance system loses communication with the centralizedsurveillance system for a predetermined period of time, the self-healingand recovery mechanisms component causes the system to reboot.

In some implementations, the remote surveillance system pings each ofthe plurality of components to check respective health statuses on apredetermined periodic basis. In some implementations, the controllerperiodically transmits heartbeat data to the centralized surveillancesystem, the heartbeat data containing information indicating respectivehealth statuses of each of the plurality of components. In someimplementations, the centralized surveillance system records theheartbeat data containing information indicating respective healthstatuses of each of the plurality of components. In someimplementations, when the at least one of the plurality of componentscommunicatively coupled with the remote surveillance system losescommunication with the centralized surveillance system for apredetermined period of time, the self-healing and recovery mechanismscomponent causes the system to reboot.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a vehicleremote surveillance system is provided. The vehicle remote surveillancesystem includes a plurality of components configured for mounting andoperation in a vehicle. The plurality of components include at least onemonitoring or sensing device, a computing device having a processor, thecomputing device communicatively coupled with the at least onemonitoring or sensing device, and a centralized surveillance systemconfigured distal from the plurality of components, the centralizedsurveillance system communicatively coupled with at least one of theplurality of components configured for mounting and operation in avehicle. When the at least one monitoring or sensing device is triggeredto send out an alert notification, the centralized surveillance systemreceives the alert notification and records the alert notification. Whenthe centralized surveillance system records more than a threshold numberof alert notifications occurring within a predetermine period of time,the centralized surveillance system outputting a service alertnotification.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, asurveillance data acquisition system is provided. The surveillance dataacquisition system includes a server. The server is configured toreceive a selection of a geometric area defined on a geolocation map, adate selection, and a time selection. The server is also configured toidentify the one or more vehicle surveillance systems recorded as beinglocated within the selected geometric area during the selected date andthe selected time, the one or more vehicle surveillance systems beingdispatched in one or more vehicles. The server is further configured toautomatically retrieve surveillance data originating from the one ormore vehicle surveillance systems identified as being located within theselected geometric area during the selected date and the selected time,the surveillance data having been recorded at the selected date and theselected time and output the retrieved surveillance data.

In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, asurveillance system is provided. The surveillance system includes a usermodule. The user module includes a geometric area selector on ageolocation map, a date selector, and a time selector. The surveillancesystem also includes a web server that receives from the user module aselection of a geometric area defined on a geolocation map, a dateselection, and a time selection. The web server identifies one or morevehicles of the plurality of vehicles located within the geometric areaat the date selection and the time selection. The surveillance systemfurther includes an offloading server that automatically initiatesrequests to offloading agents for the identified one or more vehicles toupload all surveillance data for a predetermined time defined by thegeometric area, the date selection, and the time selection. Theoffloading server receives the surveillance data uploaded from theoffloading agents of the identified one or more vehicles, thesurveillance data having been recorded at the selected date and theselected time. The offloading server also communicates the surveillancedata to the web server, which outputs the surveillance data.

In some implementations, the date selection includes a range of dates.In some implementations, the time selection includes a range of time. Insome implementations, the surveillance system further includes a statusindicator for indicating an upload of recorded video for each of theidentified one or more vehicles.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other characteristics of the present invention will be morefully understood by reference to the following detailed description inconjunction with the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustrating an example embodiment of asurveillance and monitoring system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustrating an example embodiment of asurveillance and monitoring system;

FIGS. 3a and 3b are diagrammatic representations of an exampleimplementation of the surveillance and monitoring system;

FIG. 4 is an illustrative flowchart depicting operation of thesurveillance and monitoring system fulfilling a request for data;

FIG. 5 is an illustrative environment for implementing the surveillanceand monitoring system; and

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic illustration of a high level architecture forimplementing processes of the surveillance and monitoring system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An illustrative embodiment of the present invention relates to asurveillance and monitoring system capable of aggregating surveillancedata at a centralized system from a plurality of distal satellitesurveillance locations. The surveillance data is aggregated in acentralized repository to be utilized by a variety of systems to provideuseful information. Similarly, users can access the centralized systemremotely to view and manipulate the aggregated surveillance data. Inaddition to the aggregating of surveillance data, the present inventioncan control and provide recovery mechanisms to each of the satellitesurveillance systems to ensure that the surveillance data at each distalsatellite location is consistently available with minimal downtime. Thesurveillance and monitoring system of the present invention creates areliable, redundant, and self-healing, surveillance system, whileproviding numerous functional implementations of aggregated surveillancedata. The present inventive system provides a marked improvement overconventional surveillance systems, particularly, for use within aplurality of distal mobile satellite surveillance locations. Forexample, implementations of the present invention within a publictransportation network and/or across a network of fleet vehicles (distalsatellite surveillance locations) can provide video surveillance up timefor 98% of the time, drastically minimizing the downtime relative toprior conventional systems.

FIGS. 1 through 6, wherein like parts are designated by like referencenumerals throughout, illustrate an example embodiment or embodiments ofan improved centrally managed surveillance and monitoring systemreceiving data from a number of remote satellite surveillance systems,according to the present invention. Although the present invention willbe described with reference to the example embodiment or embodimentsillustrated in the figures, it should be understood that manyalternative forms can embody the present invention. One of skill in theart will additionally appreciate different ways to alter the parametersof the embodiment(s) disclosed, such as the size, shape, or type ofelements or materials, in a manner still in keeping with the spirit andscope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative system for implementing methods inaccordance with aspects of the inventive system. In particular, FIG. 1depicts a system 100 including a centralized surveillance system 102. Aswould be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the centralizedsurveillance system 102 can include any combination of hardwarecomponents, including a centralized server computing and repositorysystem, a distributed server computing and repository system, a cloudcomputing system, or other implementations known to those of skill inthe art. In accordance with an example embodiment, the centralizedsurveillance system 102 has a plurality of specialized server devices orcore modules specifically designed and programmed to carry out specificoperations and/or tasks for the overall system 100. The centralizedsurveillance system 102 includes a computing device 104 having aprocessor 106, a memory 108, an input output interface 110, input andoutput devices 112 and a storage system 114. As would be appreciated byone skilled in the art, the computing device 104 can include a singlecomputing device, a collection of computing devices in a networkcomputing system, a cloud computing infrastructure, or a combinationthereof. Similarly, as would be appreciated by one of skill in the art,the storage system 114 can include any combination of computing devicesconfigured to store and organize a collection of data in a repository.For example, storage system 114 can be a local storage device on thecomputing device 104 (e.g., a disk drive), a remote database facility, acloud computing storage environment, or any other repository known inthe art. The storage system 114 can also include a database managementsystem utilizing a given database model configured to interact with auser for analyzing the database data.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thesystem 100 includes a plurality of remote surveillance systems 116configured to communicate with the centralized surveillance system 102over a telecommunication network(s) 118. The remote surveillance systems116 are located at different satellite locations in which it isdesirable to collect surveillance data. The surveillance data collectedby the remote surveillance systems 116 is communicated to thecentralized surveillance system 102 for storage. As would be appreciatedby one of skill in the art, the plurality of remote surveillance systems116 can include any combination of computing devices, as described withrespect to the centralized surveillance system 102 and computing device104. For example, the plurality of remote surveillance systems 116 canbe any combination of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devicesand/or specialized computing devices. In accordance with an exampleembodiment of the present invention, each of the remote surveillancesystems 116 is communicatively attached to one or more other componentsat the respective remote satellite locations. For example, the remotesurveillance systems 116 can be communicatively attached to otherhardware devices, including but not limited to, pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ)cameras, high definition (HD) internet protocol (IP) video cameras,infrared cameras, microphones, accelerometers global positioning system(GPS) and/or any other devices known in the art that may be used insurveillance, monitoring, and/or tracking systems. As would beappreciated by one skilled in the art, communicatively attached includesany combination of wired and wireless communication hardware, formats,and protocols.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, oneor more user devices 120 are able to remotely connect to the centralizedsurveillance system 102 and access information stored thereon (e.g.,information collected from the remote surveillance systems 116). Aswould be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the one or more userdevices 120 can include any combination of computing devices (e.g.,computing device 104) as described in relation to the centralizedsurveillance system 102. For example, the user devices 120 can includeany combination of desktop computers, laptops, tablets, smartphones,etc. Additionally, the one or more user devices 120 are configured toremotely connect directly to the remote surveillance systems 116 andaccess the surveillance information provided and/or stored thereon. Forexample, the one or more user devices 120 communicate with the remotesurveillance systems 116 over a secure connection (e.g.,telecommunication network(s) 118) to view live data feeds from thehardware components (e.g., HD IP camera feeds) communicatively attachedto the remote surveillance systems 116.

Continuing with FIG. 1, the centralized surveillance system 102 and theremote surveillance system 116 include a combination of core modules tocarry out the various functions in accordance with the presentinvention. In accordance with an example embodiment of the presentinvention, the core modules of the centralized surveillance system 102include an update dispatcher 122, offloading server(s) 124, anenterprise monitoring server 126, a correlation engine and database 130,and a web server 132. The update dispatcher 122 is configured to monitorversions of the software and firmware on the remote surveillance systems116, the user devices 120, and other core modules within the system 100.The offloading server(s) 124 is configured to receive offloading data(e.g., captured video feeds) from the remote surveillance systems 116and subsequently archive the received data in a repository (e.g., onstorage system 114) for use at a later time. The correlation engine anddatabase 130 are configured to monitor devices throughout the system 100for alerts and other events. The web server 132 is configured to providea user interface (UI) for displaying the various information receivedfrom the remote surveillance system 116 and the other core modules. Aswould be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the core modules of theupdate dispatcher 122, the offloading server(s) 124, the enterprisemonitoring server 126, the correlation engine and database 130, and theweb server 132 can be implemented within the centralized surveillancesystem 102 as independent hardware and software components, as softwarecomponents installed within the existing hardware of the centralizedsurveillance system 102, or a combination thereof.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, FIG.2 depicts an example implementation of an exemplary remote surveillancesystem 116 and its respective core modules, as discussed with respect toFIG. 1. In particular, FIG. 2 depicts an example implementation of theremote surveillance system 116 including a satellite agent 134, anoffloading agent 136, and an Ethernet switch 138. As would beappreciated by one skilled in the art, the satellite agent 134, theoffloading agent 136, and the Ethernet switch 138 can each beimplemented within the computing device 104 or otherwise connected tothe computing device 104. The satellite agent 134 is configured tomonitor the various activities from the components within the particularsatellite location of the remote surveillance system 116. For example,the satellite agent 134 can be an agent monitoring the variousactivities received from the surveillance hardware components (e.g.,cameras, microphones, accelerometers, etc.) within a satellite vehicle.The offloading agent 136 is configured to manage the offloading of datafrom the remote surveillance system 116 to the offloading server(s) 124of the centralized surveillance system 102 for archival (e.g., in thestorage system 114). As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art,the Ethernet switch 138 is configured to provide communicativeconnections between all the components within the remote surveillancesystem 116 and can include any type of switch configured to route databetween devices within the remote surveillance system 116. Additionally,the Ethernet switch 138 can be a separate device within the remotesurveillance system 116 or it can be integrated within the computingdevice 104. In accordance with an example embodiment of the presentinvention, the remote surveillance system 116 is communicativelyattached, via the Ethernet switch 138, to one or more data acquisitiondevices 140. The Ethernet switch 138 supplies power to the one or moredata acquisition devices 140 (e.g., via power over Ethernet (POE). Thedata acquisition devices 140 can include any combination of devicescapable of capturing surveillance data and transmitting the capturedsurveillance data to the remote surveillance system 116. As would beappreciated by one skilled in the art, surveillance data can include anycombination of audio, visual, data reading, location data, or otherinformation required for surveillance of a satellite location.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thecomputing systems and devices 102, 104, 120, and 116 are each configuredto establish a connection and communicate over telecommunicationnetwork(s) 118 to exchange data and carry out the various aspects of thepresent invention. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art,the telecommunication network(s) 118 can include any combination ofoperable networks. For example, the telecommunication network(s) 118 maybe combination of a mobile network (e.g., code-division multiple access(CDMA), global system for mobile (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE),etc.), wide area network (WAN), local area network (LAN), Wi-Fi, longrange low power wireless (LoRa), or other type of network. Thetelecommunication network(s) 118 can be used to exchange data betweenthe computing devices 102, 104, 120, and 116 can exchange data with thestorage system 114, and/or to collect data from additional sources.

In operation, the system 100 provides technological improvements toconventional security surveillance and tracking systems using thecentralized surveillance system 102, the remote surveillance system 116,and implementation of their respective core modules, as discussed withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2. In particular, the combination of thecentralized surveillance system 102 and the plurality of remotesurveillance systems 116 provides a system 100 enabled for reliabletracking, redundant data storage, self-healing, and accessiblesurveillance data at a plurality of remote locations while minimizingsurveillance downtime. In accordance with an example embodiment of thepresent invention, the system 100 is implemented within a public transitinfrastructure with a supervisory management hub. The implementationincludes the centralized surveillance system 102 and the various publictransit vehicles including the plurality of remote surveillance systems116. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, although thepresent invention is described as it relates to public transportationnetworks and public transit vehicles, however, the present invention isnot intended to be limited to this implementation. Other implementationsof the inventive system can occur, such as implementations with fleetvehicles, rental cars, or other instances where there is a need forvideo surveillance on vehicles having a relationship with a central hubor management facility.

In accordance with the public transit example embodiment, thecentralized surveillance system 102 provides the supervisory managementhub of the public transportation branch with access to statusinformation and aggregated surveillance data from various the componentsinstalled within the public transportation vehicles. The statusinformation can include, but is not limited to, the operation status ofeach vehicle within the public transportation network, the location ofeach vehicle, and the operating status for each of the hardwarecomponents installed on and within each vehicle. Additionally, theaggregated surveillance data can include, but is not limited to,surveillance video data, audio data, vehicle velocity data, vehiclelocation, etc. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, thecentralized surveillance system 102 provides users with the surveillanceand status information captured by the devices communicatively attachedto and/or installed within the remote surveillance system 116, from thecentralized surveillance system 102 itself, and/or from other accessibledata aggregated by the centralized surveillance system 102 (e.g.,publically available data). For example, the centralized surveillancesystem 102 provides users with access to captured video data and livevideo data captured with network video recorders communicativelyattached to the remote surveillance systems 116 located within publictransportation vehicles (e.g., on trains, in buses, ferries, etc.).

Continuing with the example embodiment of public transportationnetworks, each of the vehicles operating within the publictransportation networks that is being monitored, is equipped with thehardware and software for the remote surveillance system 116 and anydata acquisition devices 140 suitable for providing surveillance datafrom those vehicles. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art,the data acquisition devices 140 can include any combination of devicesconfigured to capture data that may be useful for monitoring, performingsurveillance, and managing the overall transportation network. Forexample, the data acquisition devices 140 can include HD IP cameras,GPS, accelerometers, thermometers, microphones, etc. Additionally, theremote surveillance system 116 can include any combination of hardwareand software to communicatively receive, transmit, and store data fromthe data acquisition devices 140. In accordance with an exampleembodiment of the present invention, the data acquisition devices 140include intermediate devices configured to receive and store data forthe remote surveillance system 116. For example, the remote surveillancesystem 116 includes a network video recorder (NVR) (e.g., dataacquisition device 140) configured to digitally record video receivedfrom one or more camera data acquisition devices 140 (e.g., PZT cameras,HD IP cameras, etc.). As would be appreciated by one of skill in theart, devices such as the NVR can be integrated within the computingdevice 104 of the remote surveillance system 116 or can be anindependent combination of hardware and software communicativelyattached to the computing device 104 of the remote surveillance system116.

FIGS. 3a and 3b depict an example implementation of the system 100within a public transportation network, as discussed with respect toFIGS. 1 and 2. With the hardware and software configuration depicted inFIGS. 3a and 3b , the system 100 can be used to provide surveillancedata for monitoring and tracking a plurality of satellite locationsystems 310 (e.g., buses, trains, etc.) within the overall publictransportation scheme. The satellite location system 310 can be publictransportation vehicles that include the remote surveillance system 116communicatively attached to one or more data acquisitions devices 140.In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thedata acquisition devices 140 can include a plurality of video capturingdevices 320, a video recording device 330, a display device 340 (e.g.,the I/O device 112), and a CAD/AVL device 350.

The plurality of video capturing devices 320 can include any combinationof devices capable of capturing video related data. For example, thevideo capturing devices 320 can include PZT cameras, HD IP cameras,infrared cameras, etc. Additionally, as would be appreciated by oneskilled in the art, the video capturing devices 320 can also includeaudio capturing devices, such as microphones. The video and audioinformation captured by the video capturing devices 320 is recordedand/or displayed on a number of other devices (e.g., the video recordingdevice 330, the display device 340, the user device 120, and/or by thecentralized surveillance system 102). The video recording device 330 caninclude any device configured to receive captured video from one or morevideo capturing devices 320 and record the captured video. For example,the video recording device 330 can be a computing device (e.g.,computing device 104) with network video recording (NVR) or digitalvideo recorder (DVR) software (e.g., video capturing software) installedthereon. The video recording device 330 receives the video data from thevideo capturing devices 320 and stores the videos within a storagedevice (e.g., storage system 114). As would be appreciated by oneskilled in the art, the video capturing devices 320 encode and processcaptured video data themselves and stream the encoded data to the NVRfor storage and/or remote viewing.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thevideo recording device 330 stores the video data received from the videocapturing devices 320. For example, the video recording device 330 canstore the video data on a local or remote storage device (e.g., harddisk drive (HDD), solid state drive (SSD), CD-ROM, flash drive, cloudstorage, etc.) in a format (MPEG, MKV, MP4, MOV, etc.) which can playedback on another device (e.g., the display device 340). In accordancewith an example embodiment of the present invention, the video capturingsoftware is installed on the computing device 104 of the remotesurveillance system 116 and the captured video data can be stored on thestorage system 114. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art,the video capturing software can be installed and the captured video canbe stored on a separate independently operating computing devicecommunicatively attached to the remote surveillance system 116 (e.g., anNVR device).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thedisplay device 340 includes any device capable of visually and/oraudibly conveying information to one or more users. Additionally, thedisplayed information includes any combination of information collected,derived from and/or both from the data acquisition devices 140, videocapturing devices 320, the video recording device 330, and/or othersources (e.g., data from the CAD/AVL device 350, the Internet, etc.). Inaccordance with example embodiments, the display device 340 is a monitoror light emitting diode (LED) display that displays a live videoplayback of the video data captured by the video capturing devices 320.As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the informationincludes a graphical user interface (GUI), a live or delayed video feed,or other informational display.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theCAD/AVL device 350 includes any independently operated device providingdata from the satellite location (e.g., the bus or train) of thesatellite location system 310 with independent hardware and softwareconfigured to capture and deliver data to a system unrelated to thesystem 100 of the present invention. For example, conventional CAD/AVLsystems are located on public buses and include independent GPS locationdevices and provide location data about the bus to the respectivedispatching agency (e.g., the public transit authority).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, eachof the devices included in the remote surveillance system 116 and thesatellite location system 310 is commutatively attached to one anotherby the Ethernet switch 128. As would be appreciated by one skilled inthe art, the devices, as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3 b, can also becommunicatively attached via a combination of wired and wirescommunication technologies and interfaces. For example, the devices cancommunicate over wire via the Ethernet switch 138, Bluetooth, WiFi,Ethernet, copper wire, or a combination thereof. Additionally, theEthernet switch 138 can provide other communication means to the devicesof the satellite location systems 310. For example, the Ethernet switch138 can include or otherwise be connected to a communication interfaceand/or antennae. The communication interface and/or antennae can providemeans for wireless communication to other devices (e.g., the centralizedsurveillance system 102 or user devices 120) using Wi-Fi, LoRa, LTE,CDMA, etc. In accordance with an example embodiment of the presentinvention, the remote surveillance system 116 and/or the satellitelocation system 310 can exchange data (e.g., using the communicationinterface) with the centralized surveillance system 102 and the userdevices 120 over the telecommunication network(s) 118, as discussed withrespect to FIGS. 1 and 2. As would be appreciated by one skilled in theart, the satellite location system 310 can include an independentcommunications interface or utilize the communications interface of theremote surveillance system 116.

As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the remotesurveillance system 116 can be configured to supplement or include allor a portion of the components of an overall satellite location system310. For example, the remote surveillance system 116 can include thevideo capturing devices 320 or the remote surveillance system 116 can becommunicatively attached to independent video capturing devices 320 aspart of an independent satellite location system 310. The flexibility ofthe remote surveillance system 116 allows the remote surveillance system116 to be configured as a complete overall satellite location system 310build (e.g., designed and built at once or over a period of time) or theremote surveillance system 116 can be implemented to utilize existingsystems previously in place at the satellite location system 310 (e.g.,legacy systems). For example, a bus may already have preexisting devicesinstalled thereon, such as an NVR, various cameras, and a CAD/AVL. Whenimplemented in conjunction with preexisting systems, the remotesurveillance system 116, as depicted in FIG. 2, is installed within thebus and is connected to the existing hardware elements via the Ethernetswitch 138.

As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the data collectedand stored by system 100 (e.g., the remote surveillance system 116, thesatellite location system 310, and the centralized surveillance system102) can be aggregated, derived, conveyed, in numerous fashionsdepending on the goals of the user. Similarly, the combination ofhardware and software, as discussed with respect to FIGS. 1-3 b, can beutilized in any fashion known in the art to collect and/or store anycombination of data known in the art. Specific example implementationsof such utilization of the collected and stored data in system 100 aredescribed herein; however, the present invention is not intended to belimited to these particular example implementations. These exampleimplementations are for illustrative purposes, and the collected andstored data from system 100 can be utilized in a number of differentways, as would be appreciated by those of skill in the art.

Health Monitoring and Troubleshooting Methodology

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thesystem 100 utilizes the enterprise monitoring server 126 to activelymonitor each vehicle including a remote surveillance system 116 within apublic transportation network. The enterprise monitoring server 126relies on surveillance data collected from multiple independent systemsand devices, including the systems and devices of the present invention,to produce a redundant vehicle tracking and status monitoringmethodology. In accordance with an example embodiment of the presentinvention, the enterprise monitoring server 126 supervises an onlinestatus of each vehicle within the public transportation network. Theonline status for a vehicle can include monitoring whether or not thevehicle is active within the public transportation network (e.g., activeon a route), whether or not the vehicle is transmitting surveillancedata, health data related information, or other information to thecentralized surveillance system 102, whether or not the vehicle istransmitting from an anticipated location within the publictransportation network (e.g., from the route, in the hub, etc.), or anyother status indicators as would be appreciated by those of skill in theart.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, inaddition to monitoring the online status of the vehicles, the enterprisemonitoring server 126 receives additional information from the remotesurveillance system 116. In particular, the remote surveillance system116 on the vehicles periodically transmits reports and health relatedmessages to the enterprise monitoring server 126. The reports and healthrelated messages periodically transmitted by the remote surveillancesystem 116 on each of the vehicles include a healthy and active message(e.g., a heartbeat message) with vehicle identification data, timestampdata, location data (GPS information), accelerometer data (e.g., travelspeed), and any other data gathered from the vehicle at the time oftransmission to the enterprise monitoring server 126. The frequency ofsuch periodic transmissions can be determined by those of skill in theart for the particular system implementation.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theremote surveillance system 116 also transmits a health status messageincluding additional report information based on health tests performedon each individual device within a satellite location system 310. Inparticular, the health status message can include specific healthinformation as to whether a particular device is active, inactive,whether those devices are operating properly, and other statusindicators known in the art. Similarly, the report can includeindications that the video capturing devices 320 are online/offline,whether the video recording device 330 is not receiving video streamfrom the video capturing devices 320, whether the video recording device330 is experiencing any hard drive failure, any devices experiencingexcessive rebooting etc.

Additionally, the enterprise monitoring server 126 receives a number ofdifferent status message related data. In particular, the enterprisemonitoring server 126 can receive status messages including informationfor rebooting statuses of particular devices, storage space availableand unavailable for storage devices, how much video retainage isavailable on the video recording device 330, and check software statusesfor software running on any of the devices (e.g., video recordingsoftware on the video recording device 330), a number of days of videoretention or amount of free drive space on the video recording device330. Based on the heartbeat messages, the health status messages, andthe status information included therein, the enterprise monitoringserver 126 identifies when any of the devices within a satellitelocation system 310 is not responsive and/or operating properly andinitiates immediate mitigating action(s) in real time. As would beappreciated by one of skill in the art, the heartbeat messages, healthstatus messages, and other status messages can be transmitted atdifferent rates with different priorities and include differentcombinations of information. For example, the remote surveillance system116 can send out hundreds of heartbeats messages between sending a batchof health status messages and other status messages.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theenterprise monitoring server 126 performs mitigating corrective actionsfor the recovery of a non-responsive or malfunctioning device within thesatellite location system 310. For the initiating recovery, theenterprise monitoring server 126 transmits instructions to the remotesurveillance system 116 to activate, deactivate, and/or reboot aparticular device or system. As would be appreciated by one skilled inthe art, the instructions can be automatically initiated instructions oruser initiated instruction(s) transmitted to the device or system withinthe satellite location system 310. In one example implementation, upon adetermination that one or more video capturing devices 320 are notoperating properly, the enterprise monitoring server 126 automaticallytransmits instructions to the remote surveillance system 116 to rebootthe particular videos capturing devices 320. As would be appreciated byone skilled in the art, the enterprise monitoring server 126 can sendinstructions to activate, deactivate, and/or reboot any of the devicesdescribed with respect to FIGS. 1-3 b.

Subsequent to the enterprise monitoring server 126 transmittinginstructions to activate, deactivate, and/or reboot, a device, theenterprise monitoring server 126 accesses the targeted device and/orsystem remotely to determine whether the corrective action was carriedout and/or whether it was effective. Continuing the previous example,the enterprise monitoring server 126 can remotely access the videorecording device 330 in question to determine whether it is receivingvideo data streams from the previously problematic video capturingdevices 320. In accordance with an example embodiment of the presentinvention, the enterprise monitoring server 126 initiates additionalmitigating actions to the devices and systems discussed in FIGS. 1-3 bwhen necessary (e.g., to continue troubleshooting a particular device).For example, the enterprise monitoring server 126 can cycle throughinternal video capturing devices 320 and can send instructions to shutdown particular video capturing devices 320 if those video capturingdevices 320 go down or the enterprise monitoring server 126 can sendinstructions to cycle to next available video capturing devices 320 fordisplay on the display device 340.

Redundant Vehicle Location Tracking and Monitoring Methodology

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, aredundancy in monitoring is created by the enterprise monitoring server126. The enterprise monitoring server 126 creates the monitoringredundancy by monitoring, obtaining, and/or comparing data provided bytwo independent systems within the same satellite location system 310.For example, the enterprise monitoring server 126 utilizes location data(e.g., GPS data) provided in the heartbeat messages of the remotesurveillance system 116 and simultaneously obtains location dataprovided by an independently operating device located within the samesatellite location system 310. In particular, the enterprise monitoringserver 126 compares status data confirming whether a separate system,that is not part of the remote surveillance system 116 (e.g., theCAD/AVL device 350), is operating in real-time on the vehicle withstatus data confirming whether the vehicle monitoring system, within theremote surveillance system 116, is also operating in real-time on thevehicle. More specifically, the enterprise monitoring server 126verifies a real-time operating status of the vehicle based on acomparison of status data for the vehicle from the remote surveillancesystem 116 and publically available status data associated with thevehicle from a remote system (e.g., derived from the CAD/AVL device 350that is not part of the remote surveillance system 116). In other words,the enterprise monitoring server 126 can verify (redundantly) whether avehicle is operating appropriately (e.g., within a given location) bycomparing status information (e.g., location information) from deviceswithin the remote surveillance system 116 and a device operatingindependently from the remote surveillance system 116 (CAD/AVL device350) within the same vehicle. As would be appreciated by one of skill inthe art, the location data for the independent CAD/AVL can be obtainedby leveraging publically available location data of the CAD/AVL. Forexample, the location data can be leveraged by accessing a third partywebsite or web application program interface (API) that has made theCAD/AVL information publically available.

In operation, with two sets of location data, the enterprise monitoringserver 126 can compare the location data and/or other data from bothseparate device sources (e.g., the remote surveillance system 116 andthe CAD/AVL device 350) and attain a number of different determinations.In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thepublically available location information from the CAD/AVL device 350 iscollected and transformed into a list format to be compared against theGPS information obtained by the enterprise monitoring server 126 fromthe remote surveillance system 116. For example, the enterprisemonitoring server 126 can check to determine whether both devices and/orsystems (e.g., the remote surveillance system 116 and the CAD/AVL device350) are providing the same location data at the same time periods. Theenterprise monitoring server 126 can exclude all vehicles that havelocation information from the CAD/AVL device 350 that match therespective GPS information from that vehicle's remote surveillancesystem 116. Additionally, the enterprise monitoring server 126 canexclude all vehicles that have CAD/AVL devices 350 but are not equippedwith a remote surveillance system 116. The remaining vehicles in thelist (e.g., vehicles with a remote surveillance system 116 with GPSinformation not matching the location information leveraged from theCAD/AVL device 350) can be flagged for further monitoring and/ortroubleshooting. For example, the enterprise monitoring server 126 canping the remote surveillance system 116 to determine if the remotesurveillance system 116 is responsive/active. As would be appreciated byone skilled in the art, the enterprise monitoring server 126 can obtainlocation information from the remote surveillance system 116 in formatsother than GPS (e.g., triangulation).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theenterprise monitoring server 126 uses a separate GPS device for GPSfencing to determine whether the vehicle is inside or outside of aparticular location or area by comparing location data from the CAD AVLto the GPS data of the remote surveillance system 116 to determinewhether they match within a predetermined tolerance. In accordance withan example embodiment of the present invention, the enterprisemonitoring server 126 can use the data to determine if a vehicle shouldbe active and/or at a certain location and determining when to expectthe vehicle to be located and receive data from that vehicle.Additionally, determination of where the vehicle is located and wherethe vehicle will be at a future time can be used to send alerts to usersthrough the centralized surveillance system 102 and the user devices120. For example, an alert can be issued when a vehicle has returned toan area defined as the transportation hub or depot.

When there is an inconsistency in the comparison of locationinformation, the enterprise monitoring server 126 determines whether onesystem is down or malfunctioning and takes the proper corrective action(e.g., reboot the remote surveillance system 116, record an alert,etc.). Using the redundant location data from the two (or more)independent systems, enables the enterprise monitoring server 126 of thecentralized surveillance system 102 to accurately track the location ofa particular vehicle and provide alerts when one of the systems is downor is not operating as intended or desired. For example, when thelocation information on the remote surveillance system 116 indicatesthat a vehicle has stopped at a particular location, but the leveragedpublic location data from the CAD/AVL system indicates that the vehicleis still moving and/or at another location, the enterprise monitoringserver 126 initiates an alert related to the inconsistency.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, eachalert initiated by the enterprise monitoring server 126 is stored by thecentralized surveillance system 102 and based on predetermined criteriacan also issue a service alert notification. For example, when more thana predetermined number of alert notifications have been recorded by thecentralized surveillance system 102 within a predetermined period oftime (for a particular issue), the enterprise monitoring server 126outputs a service alert notification. As would be appreciated by one ofskill in the art, the alert notification triggered by the centralizedsurveillance system 102 can include any method for notifying a user thatadditional action is required. For example, the alert notification caninclude a pop-up notification on management software, a short messageservice message, an email, etc. Additionally, the alert notification caninclude any type of message or instruction to the user. For example, thealert notification can instruct the user to pull a particular vehiclefrom service or may be a general alert indicating that a particularvehicle has been experiencing a particular problem(s).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, analert notification and recordation scheme are implemented with respectto receiving data at the centralized surveillance system 102 from theremote surveillance system 116. Continuing the example, alerts areinitiated and recorded at the enterprise monitoring server 126 of thecentralized surveillance system 102 in response to not receiving datafrom the remote surveillance system 116 over a threshold period of timein conjunction with the leveraged comparative CAD/AVL data. Inparticular, when data leveraged from the CAD/AVL system indicates that avehicle is in active service on a route, but the enterprise monitoringserver 126 is not receiving data from the remote surveillance system 116for that vehicle, an alert is triggered. The alerts are recorded and analert notification can be issued when a number of alerts or duration ofthe alerts for a particular vehicle meets or exceeds a predeterminedthreshold. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, there canbe many legitimate reasons that the remote surveillance system 116cannot communicate to the enterprise monitoring server 126 (e.g., poorLTE connection, the system is rebooting, the vehicle is shut off and theCAD/AVL system hasn't recognized this yet, etc.). As such, the alertcondition must exist for a long enough threshold of time (e.g., twohours) to be sure one of these legitimate reasons is not the cause ofthe issue.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention,alarms self-clear when the issue causing the alert has been resolved.For example when a device reboot corrects the issue, the alert clearsbecause the problem has been auto-corrected. As would be appreciated byone of skill in the art, alerts can be recorded based on any devicesand/or systems that are not operating properly (e.g., according to thehealth tests, heartbeat messages, health status messages, etc.).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thealert indications are historically tracked by the centralizedsurveillance system 102 in a database, table, or other data structureformat known in the art. The information stored in the data structure isdisplayed to a user via the system software and/or webpage access. Forexample, the alerts can be displayed on chart that shows historicalalerts for vehicles over a period of time. The historical alertinformation displayed in the chart can be used by a user or system toidentify any intermittent problems that are repeatedly being generatedbut are subsequently cleared prior to an alert notification being issuedto a user (e.g., such as a loose wire, bad LTE service area, etc.) Inparticular, the intermittent problems may not exist for a sufficienttime duration (e.g., less than two hours) to trigger an alertnotification for additional action (e.g., for pulling the vehicle forinspection). When this occurs, the chart can be used to identify theoutliers that are generating the most alerts over time without causingan alert to be triggered, so the core problem can be identified andcured by the user.

As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, many types ofredundant data and/or alert notification system can be used in a similarmanner. For example, redundant video feeds from two independent systemscan be used in comparison or to supplement missing video data feeds.Similarly, alerts can be triggered by the remote surveillance system116, and stored when video data feeds have gone down. These alerts canbe used in a similar manner as the alerts discussed with respect to theenterprise monitoring server 126 and CAD/AVL data. The redundancy andstatus monitoring by the enterprise monitoring server 126 for eachsystem can create a fault detection and recovery mechanism that reducesan amount of down time of any of the data acquisition devices 140 of theremote surveillance systems 116.

Physical Security Information Management (PSIM)

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, usersaccess information, provide instructions, receive notifications, andother operations using a physical security information management system(PSIM) integrated with the centralized surveillance system 102. The PSIMis a software interface used to consolidate actionable information orsituations that can be derived from the components and devicesthroughout the system 100. As would be appreciated by one skilled in theart, in accordance with example embodiments of the present invention,the PSIM system is installed and accessed through the centralizedsurveillance system 102 and/or the remote surveillance system 116. ThePSIM system is responsible for managing all of the communication betweendevices within the system 100 and providing a user interface for usersto access the system 100 and the information stored thereon. Inparticular, the PSIM aggregates event messages received by thecentralized surveillance system 102 and utilizes the correlation engineand database 130 to review each event message and apply a list of userdefined rule sets to each event message. For example, when an eventmessage meets the conditions set forth in the user defined rules, thenthe corresponding rule dictates the action to be taken by thecentralized surveillance system 102. Additionally, some of the actionscan be presented to a user in the form of an alert or alarm that appearsin a grid within the user interface for the PSIM.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, therule sets associate the alerts or alarms with the appropriate videocapturing devices 320 for live and recorded playback in response to anevent message, such that the captured videos are used by the videorecording device 330 to create a clip of the captured video and save thevideo for later retrieval (e.g., forensic, evidence, etc.). Inparticular, the correlation engine and database 130 are responsible foraccessing vehicle rules 510 stored in the centralized surveillancesystem 102, watching for vehicle related event messages or alerts thatare related to those vehicle rules 510, and responding accordingly. Aswould be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the vehicle rules 510can include logic for handling particular events or alarms andtriggering the necessary response to such events or alarms. In responseto identifying a vehicle related event or alert, the correlation engineand database 130 can create a PSIM situation for reacting to the eventor alert, if anything. For example, when the correlation engine anddatabase 130 identifies an alert received from a vehicle indicating thata video capturing device 320 is not streaming video data, thecorrelation engine and database determine what the appropriate actionfor addressing that alert is, by accessing the vehicle rules 510. Inthis situation the appropriate action may include rebooting the videocapturing device 320 and the correlation engine and database 130 canprovide instructions to be sent by the centralized surveillance system102 and/or user to the remote surveillance system 116 to reboot thevideo capturing device 320. As would be appreciated by one skilled inthe art, any operable combination of software can be used to perform thefunctions in place of the PSIM interface.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thecorrelation engine and database 130 are responsible for receivingevents, alarms, and/or alerts from the plurality of remote surveillancesystems 116 and/or the centralized surveillance system 102, processingthe events, alarms, and/or alerts, and providing the appropriatereaction to the events, alarms, and/or alerts to the centralizedsurveillance system 102 and/or remote surveillance system 116. Inparticular, the correlation engine and database 130 utilizes a PSIMproxy 506 to monitor all of the events, alarms, and alerts from thedevices throughout system 100 and create PSIM situations in response tothe events, alarms, and alerts. The PSIM proxy 506 is a monitoringservice that detects an event triggered within the system 100 (e.g., thepanic button was pressed by a vehicle operator, the accelerometer hasdetected erratic driving, detection of an accident, etc.). In accordancewith an example embodiment of the present invention, the PSIM proxy 506“packages up” the triggered event and transmits the packaged event tothe PSIM web API. Additionally, simultaneously or subsequently, the PSIMproxy 506 can also create PSIM situations in the centralizedsurveillance system 102 in response to the triggered event.

As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the PSIM situationscan include providing analysis of the events, alarms, and alerts,verification of the events, alarms, and alerts, resolution for theevents, alarms, and alerts (e.g. step by step instructions to resolvethe events, alarms, and alerts), reporting of the events, alarms, andalerts, and creating an audit trail of the events, alarms, and alerts.For example, the alerts/alarms can be presented to a user in the userinterface, and if the user clicks on the alert/alarm a separate windowopens to display more detailed information as well as a recorded videoplayback from where the event was triggered (e.g., at the remotesurveillance system 116 reporting the event). Additionally, the eventplayback can include a buffer period before and after the time that theevent was triggered. Based on the detailed information for the event,the user can utilize the user interface to implement a standardoperating protocol (also displayed on the detailed information) designedfor that type of alert/alarm. Ultimately the user/operator makes adecision to take some action, such as dispatch appropriate responders,to forward/assign the alert/alarm to another user or group, or to simplyclear the alert/alarm. The functionality provided by the PSIM situationscan instruct personnel how to handle the events, alarms, and alerts asthey occur.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thecorrelation engine and database 130 receives new PSIM events fromhypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) POST requests. The PSIM events can beinjected using a HTTP POST proxy 508 and can be transmitted to the PSIMcorrelation engine for processing. In particular, the HTTP POST proxy508 determines that an event occurred by monitoring the event messagesproduced by the various components within system 100 (e.g., theenterprise monitoring server 126, the web server 132, the remotesurveillance system 116, etc.). The HTTP POST proxy 508 creates theappropriate event message in response to the triggered event and submitsit to the PSIM via HTTP POST 508. The event message includes all thefields required by the PSIM completed, such as event description, eventtime/date, originating system, event identifier, etc.

Remote Surveillance, Monitoring, and Health Recovery Methodologies

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thesystem 100 includes management software for the centralized surveillancesystem 102 configured to enable users to access to information forsurveillance, status and health monitoring, self-healing, and recoverymechanisms. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, themanagement software can be a web based interface, a user interfacewithin the centralized surveillance system 102, integrated with thePSIM, or a combination thereof. In the example embodiment, the webserver 132, within the centralized surveillance system 102, provides themechanism for users to access, manage, and view all of the dataaggregated at the centralized surveillance system 102. In particular,the web server 132 provides a graphical user interface (GUI) with livedynamic vehicle fleet monitoring with status and health information foreach of the vehicles within the fleet. For example, the GUI can providefleet maps detailing all of the status, location, and alert informationavailable at the centralized surveillance system 102, as discussed withrespect to FIGS. 1-3 b.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theweb server 132 provides users with mechanisms to manage and track thevehicles throughout the fleet using a GUI. The GUI provides an executivedashboard in which a user can track, monitor, and provide modifyinginstructions to each of the devices within the system 100. Inparticular, the GUI provides an interface in which the statusinformation (e.g., online status, location, etc.) can be viewed for eachof the vehicles within a fleet and their respective hardware devices. Aswould be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the tracking canprovide any combination of live data and historical data available tothe centralized surveillance system 102, as discussed with respect toFIGS. 1-3 b. For example, the tracking can include live tracking,historical tracking, service history, etc.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theweb server 132 provides users with means for transmitting instructions,requesting information or data, or performing mitigating actionsaccording to a PSIM situation for the remote surveillance systems 116.The transmission of instructions can include any actions that can betriggered by the centralized surveillance system 102 to the remotesurveillance systems 116. For example, the user can use the GUI toprovide instructions to a vehicle to reboot a particular device orsystem. As would be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the user canuse the GUI to activate, deactivate, reboot, or perform any otheroperation to any device in connection with the system 100. For example,the user can remotely initiate operations on an overall remotesurveillance system 116 and/or particular devices (e.g., video capturingdevices 320, video recording device 330, display device 340, etc.)within the remote surveillance system 116. Similarly, the user canrequest information by using the GUI to transmit a request forparticular data or video feeds for a vehicle. For example, the user canuse the GUI to transmit a request to a vehicle's live and/or recordedvideo feed from that vehicle's remote surveillance system 116. In theevent that an alert or alarm is triggered, the user can use the GUI toprovide a response to the event by following instructions provided by aPSIM proxy 506. For example, the GUI can provide the user with step bystep instructions for managing the alert or alarm.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theweb server 132 provides the user access to the archived data within thesystem 100. The archived data can include all of the data collected andaggregated by the centralized surveillance system 102 from the pluralityof remote surveillance systems 116. The archived data can includepreviously uploaded video feeds, heartbeat information, health statusmessages, alert/alarm history logs, historical mitigation actions takenby users, and any other information stored by the centralizedsurveillance system 102. As would be appreciated by one of skill in theart, the data can be displayed to the user in any combination offormats. For example, the data can be displayed in tabular format,textual format, graphical format, a chart, etc.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theweb server 132 provides user access to all of or portions of the dataavailable within the centralized surveillance system 102 from remoteuser devices 120. The user devices 120 can access the data using a GUIsimilar to the interface discussed with respect to the centralizedsurveillance system 102 management software of the web server 132. Inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theinformation that the GUI provides to the user devices 120 can be limitedin functionality from the management software for the centralizedsurveillance system 102. For example, the data available to the userdevices 120 can be limited to monitoring vehicle locations, performing alive look-in to the video feeds on a vehicle, and requesting videodownload for particular vehicles (e.g., from the vehicle directly orfrom the centralized surveillance system 102). As would be appreciatedby one of skill in the art, the user devices 120 can access the data inthe centralized surveillance system 102 through the user of a softwareapplication or mobile application installed on their device or through awebsite or portal.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theuser devices 120 utilize the GUI to act as a mobile data terminalscanner 512. The mobile data terminal scanner 512 provides users (e.g.,law enforcement officers) with the ability to quickly and easily connectthe user device 120 (e.g., mobile terminal computer installed in thepolice vehicle) to any equipped vehicles (e.g., public transportationbuses) within Wi-Fi range. The mobile data terminal scanner 512continuously scans every few seconds for compatible vehicles in range(e.g., vehicles with remote surveillance systems 116).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thevehicles (e.g., with the remote surveillance systems 116) do notbroadcast their service set identifiers (SSID), so the mobile dataterminal scanner 512 can only see the media access control (MAC)addresses of the Wi-Fi access point on the broadcasting vehicles. Themobile data terminal scanner 512 periodically (e.g., once a day)downloads the most recent list of remote surveillance system 116equipped vehicles. The list contains the MAC address for the accesspoints, the vehicle IDs, SSIDs, Wi-Fi credentials; type of videorecording software is installed, etc. The mobile data terminal scanner512 compares all hidden SSID's to the downloaded list to determine whichvehicles are remote surveillance system 116 equipped vehicles. Based onthe comparison, the mobile data terminal scanner 512 displays thevehicle ID's of the vehicles within range of the user device 120. Theuser can then access any of the displayed vehicles within range of theiruser device 120. For example, a law enforcement officer can select thevehicle of interest, using the touchscreen of the mobile data terminal,to establish a Wi-Fi connection to the vehicle. After a connection isestablished with a vehicle, the mobile data terminal scanner 512 canlaunch access data within the vehicles system. For example, the mobiledata terminal scanner 512 can launch a client to display a preselectionof camera views, automatically download new vehicle identifications andpasswords, request status information, video feeds, change views,playback video, capture clips, etc. for those vehicles.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theweb server 132 implements real-time health monitoring for the pluralityof remote surveillance systems 116. Additionally, the web server 132provides users with access to the status information, health statusmessages, heartbeat messages, etc., via the management GUI for thecentralized surveillance system 102. In particular, the web server 132runs periodic checks for heartbeat messages, health status messages,other status information, and alerts/alarms for each of the vehicleswithin the system 100. The information received during the periodicchecks is stored within the centralized surveillance system 102 (e.g.,storage system 114) and can be automatically and/or manually reviewedfor any potential issues.

When the web server 132 does not receive information from a remotesurveillance system 116 during a periodic check, an alert is createdand/or mitigating action can be is taken. For example, the web server132 provides mitigating action by proactively attempt to contact theremote surveillance system 116 to request a status check-in. Similarly,when a remote surveillance system 116 transmits status information withan indication that a particular device within that satellite locationsystem 310 is non-responsive, an alert and/or mitigating action is takenby the web server 132. For example, the web server 132 providesmitigating action by instructing the remote surveillance system 116 forthe problematic system or device within the satellite location system310 to reboot. In accordance with an example embodiment of the presentinvention, the web server 132 follows a checklist for performingmitigating actions and escalation of those actions. In one example, theweb server 132 initiates contact with the remote surveillance system116, sends an alert if the web server 132 cannot establish contact,places the remote surveillance system 116 on a watch list in casecommunication is down (e.g., lost LTE connection), issues an alarmnotification if the remote surveillance system 116 remains offline foran predetermined period of time, and automatically clears the alarm whenthe remote surveillance system 116 comes back online and responds tocommunication from the web server 132.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thefunctionality of the GUI provided by the web server 132 further includesfunctionality provided by the update dispatcher 122. The updatedispatcher 122 automatically distributes software and firmware patchesto all the of the devices within the system 100. Based on the statusinformation received by the centralized surveillance system 102, theupdate dispatcher 122 determines what software and firmware is installedand what respective version levels are running on each device within theremote surveillance system 116 on each vehicle. When the updatedispatcher 122 identifies an out of date piece of software or firmware,an instruction is provided to the out of date system or device to updateit to the latest version. As would be appreciated by one of skill in theart, the instruction can be automatically initiated or can be sent as anotification to a user to provide instructions through the GUI toinitiate automatic or manual installation of the update. Additionally,the update dispatcher 122 can provide the necessary installation package(e.g., an exe file, zip file, etc.) to perform the update to the targetsystem or device. In accordance with an example embodiment of thepresent invention, the update dispatcher 122 can monitor a vehiclestatus to determine when a vehicle is online or has come online and pushthe necessary update to the target systems or devices on that vehicle atthat time.

Automated Monitoring and Health Recovery Methodology for RemoteSurveillance Systems

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theremote surveillance system 116 performs its own health monitoring,self-healing, and recovery mechanisms within each satellite locationsystem 310. In particular, an agent operating within the remotesurveillance system 116 (e.g., an agent device) periodically pings thedifferent devices in the satellite location system 310 to check theirrespective health statuses and determine if any mitigation ortroubleshooting actions are needed. As would be appreciated by one ofskill in the art, any of the devices in the satellite location system310 can be the agent device responsible for the health monitoring,self-healing, and recovery mechanisms. For example, computing device 104and/or the video recording device 330 can include the customized agentsoftware for transmitting the heartbeat, status information, and healthmessages to the centralized surveillance system 102. After pinging eachof the devices at a satellite location system 310, the agent device forthe remote surveillance system 116 can transmit the health monitoringand recovery information to the centralized surveillance system 102 inthe form of heartbeats, status information, and/or health messages.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, apower controller 360 monitors power statuses for each of the deviceswithin the satellite location system 310 for the vehicle. In particular,the power controller 360 monitors two inputs, the inputs including anignition source and an input/output pin from the video recording device330. The power controller 360 is a separate device that is locatedanywhere on the vehicle so long as it can connect to the remotesurveillance system 116 and the Ethernet switch 138. For example, thepower controller 360 can be mounted next to the video recording device330 in a larger enclosure that contains the video recording device 330,a switch, and relays. Additionally, the power controller 360 performsadditional power on and power off operations for the devices within thesatellite location system 310 based on a power status for the agentcomputing device (e.g., computing device 104 and/or video recordingdevice 330) in the remote surveillance system 116. The logic of thepower controller 360 monitors the two inputs for the vehicle's ignitionstate (e.g., via the ignition source input) and a power state of thevideo recording device 330 (e.g., via the input/output pin for input ofthe video recording device 330). The power controller 360 ensures thatthe video recording device 330 turns on when the ignition for thevehicle is activated and that all other devices within the satellitelocation system 310 (e.g., video capturing devices 320) receive powerwhen the video recording device 330 is powered on. For example, when theignition source of the vehicle is turned on, the corresponding input forthe power controller 360 detects the on power state. The inputs of thepower controller 360 also dictates activating and/or deactivating powerto other devices. For example, if the power controller 360 detects powerfrom the ignition source input, then the power controller engages therelays to deliver power to the Ethernet switch 138 for poweringcommunication devices (e.g., LTE, radio, etc.).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theagent device within the remote surveillance system 116 also monitors theignition state of the vehicle and performs specific actions based on theignition state. In particular, when the vehicle is turned off, the agentdevice will allow the video recording device 330 computer to run for apredetermined period of time and then instruct the video recordingdevice 330 to shut down. Similarly, the power controller 360 detectsthat the video recording device 330 has turned itself off and then it inturn shuts down the other devices of the satellite location system 310by cutting off their power.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theagent device connects to the video recording device 330 and pulls statusinformation from each of the video capturing devices 320. In the eventthat the video recording device 330 or one or more of the videocapturing devices 320 are not responsive (e.g., down or notcommunicating), the agent device attempts to reboot the non-responsivedevices. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the agentdevice also performs other mitigating actions for non-responsivedevices. For example, for non-responsive video capturing devices 320,the agent device can cycle through internal cameras, can shut down anyvideo capturing device 320 that are down, can cycle to next availablevideo capturing device 320 (for display on the display device 340), etc.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theagent device follows a mitigation protocol and escalation plan whenperforming self-healing actions. For example, the agent device can startby initiating reboots for non-responsive devices, the agent device canissue an alert to the centralized surveillance system 102 for remotemitigation actions, and lastly the agent device can issue a notificationfor technician for troubleshooting/repair if the previous mitigatingactions fail. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, theagent device can monitor and manage any devices connected to the remotesurveillance system 116 within the satellite location system 310. Forexample, the agent device can reboot an LTE router/antenna if the LTEsignal in the event that data is not being received and/or transmitted.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thesatellite location system 310 includes a number of other devices thatcan be monitored, managed, and repaired by the agent device. Forexample, the satellite location system 310 includes an on board displayfor relaying live video feed(s) to the passengers on the vehicle, astatus LED indicating the operating status of one or more systems withinthe satellite location system 310, and switches (e.g., foot switch,covert switch, panic switch, etc.) for initiating a video recordingupload. Each of these additional devices can include particularimplementations that need to be monitored and monitored by the agentdevice. In particular, the agent device can update the LED indicator toindicate the operating status of the overall remote surveillance system116. For example, the agent can indicate a green LED to indicate thatall systems are operational and a red LED to indicate that a device orsystem is non-responsive. Additionally, the agent device can monitor theswitches and initiate an action when one of the switches has beenactivated by a user (e.g., initiate an offload when a panic switch isactivated). In accordance with an example embodiment of the presentinvention, the combination covert switch, foot switch, and status LEDcan be combined within a single device 514.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theagent device pings the various devices within the satellite locationsystem 310 to determine their respective health statuses. Based on theresponses from the various devices, the agent can create a health statusmessage and other status messages to be stored in the local storagedevice for transmission to the centralized surveillance system 102. Theagent device can periodically transmit heartbeat messages, health statusmessages, and other status messages to the centralized surveillancesystem 102 including the health information obtained from the deviceswithin the satellite location system 310. The heartbeat can containvehicle ID, timestamp, GPS and accelerometer data. The health statusmessages are varied based on the health test performed on the variousdevices within the satellite location system 310 (e.g., cameraonline/offline query, hard drive failure indication, excessive rebootingetc.). The other status messages can include other information derivedfrom the health status tests, including but not limited to a number ofdays of video retention or amount of free drive space.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, whenone of the devices within the satellite location system 310 becomesunresponsive for a predetermined period of time, the agent device of theremote surveillance system 116 initiates a self-healing and recoverymechanisms instruction causing the non-responsive devices or the entiresystem to reboot. In particular, the agent device makes an attempt todetermine a point of failure and restart any devices that may be thecause of the determined point of failure. For example, the agent devicecan lose communication with one of the video capturing devices 320 butmay determine that an intermediary device is the issue and initiateinstructions to reboot the intermediary device rather than the videocapturing device 320. Similarly, there are conditions where the agentdevice will determine that it is the point of failure and will initiatea reboot of its own system.

Video Offloading

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thesystem 100 is configured to offload data from the plurality of remotesurveillance systems 116 to the centralized surveillance system 102 forlong time storage. The data offloading is performed by the combinationof the offloading server(s) 124 on the centralized surveillance system102 and the offloading agent 136 on the remote surveillance system 116.The offloading agent 136 communicates with the local vehicle archiver502 on the remote surveillance system 116 to offload the various datastored by the remote surveillance system 116. The local vehicle archiver502 can include all the data stored by the remote surveillance system116 during vehicle operation. For example, the local vehicle archiver502 can include health status records, video capture recordings, loggedalarms, and other data. In accordance with an example embodiment of thepresent invention, the offloading agent 136 offloads merely a portion ofall the stored data that has been tagged by an alarm, event, or request.For example, a particular set of video data could be tagged for offloadwhen a vehicle operator activated a panic button. By limiting theoffload to only data items that are tagged, the offload time is reducedand stored space in the centralized surveillance system 102 storagesystem 114 can be efficiently utilized. As would be appreciated by oneskilled in the art, the offloading agent 136 can also synchronize andoffload all the data stored on the remote surveillance system 116 thathad not been previously offloaded to the centralized surveillance system102. Additionally, the offloading agent 136 can be responsible forinitiating and monitoring the connection to the offloading server(s) 124when they are in range and/or available. Likewise, the offloadingserver(s) 124 can initiate and monitor the connection and progress withthe offloading agent 136. The offloading server(s) 124 receive all ofthe data transmitted by the offloading agent 136 and subsequently storesthat data in a centralized repository archives for access by thecentralized surveillance system 102.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thecentralized surveillance system 102 is configured to receive requestsfrom users for particular sets of data (e.g., video data) fromparticular remote surveillance systems 116 or satellite location systems310. The request is received by the centralized surveillance system 102and/or the remote surveillance system 116, and the data offloadingprocess is initiated by the systems. In one example, the data offloadingprocess can be initiated once a vehicle has returned to a depot ortransportation hub and the data that is offloaded can be limited to thedata that has been requested. For example, a request can be submittedfor video data from a particular vehicle (e.g., satellite locationsystem 310) for a particular time period (e.g., offload requests made inresponse to criminal activity, complaints, etc.).

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theoffloading agent 136 monitors and manages other devices within thesatellite location system 310 during the offloading process. In oneexample, when determining that the ignition system for the vehicle hasbeen turned off, the offloading agent deactivates video capturingdevices 320 during offload to conserve battery charge of the vehicle. Inaccordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theoffloading agent 136 monitors the progress of an offload and identifywhen there is a problem with the offload or if the offload isinterrupted. When an offload is interrupted or cannot complete, theoffloading agent 136 initiates mitigating actions (e.g., reboot deviseor systems, retry the offload, etc.). In accordance with an exampleembodiment of the present invention, the offloading agent 136periodically automatically wakes up to fulfill and/or complete offloadrequests. Upon wakeup, the offloading agent 136 checks with theoffloading server 124 to determine whether any requests exist, requestsvideo, or performs software updates. Once an offload is complete, theoffloading agent 136 powers down and initiates a power down for anyremaining systems within the remote surveillance system 116.

Automated Video Data Request and Recovery Based on Selected Time andLocation Methodology

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thesystem 100 includes data request software 504; in particular, video datarequest software. The video data request software 504 is provided by thecentralized surveillance system 102 and enables access to video datafrom any of the satellite location systems 310 to user devices 120. Aswould be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the data requestsoftware 504 is implemented as a software application installed on theuser devices 120, or a software application accessed by the user devices120 through the Internet in a cloud architecture configuration. Forexample, the centralized surveillance system 102 provides users accessto the data request software 504 through a portal on a website. The datarequest software 504 provides users with a mechanism to submit requestsfor data (e.g., video data) to the centralized surveillance system 102based on user submitted criteria. For example, a user can login to thedata request software 504 and request video data for a particularvehicle or vehicle route on a particular date or time.

In response to receiving a request for video data from a user, thecentralized surveillance system 102 checks the centralized data storagesystem 114 if the requested video data has been offloaded and archived.If the data has been previously offloaded to the storage system 114,then the requested video data is provided to the requesting user. Ifnot, the centralized surveillance system 102 initiates a command to theoffloading server(s) 124 to request the video data from the appropriatesource satellite location system 310 offloading agent 136 when theybecome available. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art,the request is fulfilled based on availability, data restrictions, useraccess, urgency, etc.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, theuser logs in to the data request software 504 and uses a map selectiontool to select a defined area of a map and a particular date and/or timeand request video data for all public transportation vehicles that werelocated someplace in the user defined geometric area of the map at thegiven date and/or time. For example, when an investigator is aware thata crime was committed at a particular place and a particular time, theinvestigator requests all available video data for the particular placeat the particular time. As would be appreciated by one of skill in theart, any particular criteria can be used for requesting data from theremote surveillance systems 116. The centralized surveillance system 102receives the selection of the geometric area defined on a geolocationmap, a date selection, and a time selection, as defined by the user. Aswould be appreciated by one skilled in the art, any search criteria canbe received and used for requesting video data. In response to thereceived request, the centralized surveillance system 102 submits therequest to the offloading server 124 to offload the appropriate datafrom all of the vehicles that were in that geometric area at that time.The offloading server 124 identifies the vehicles originating the storeddata originating from one or more vehicle monitoring systems recorded asbeing located within the selected geometric area during the selecteddate and the selected time. The identifying is performed bycrosschecking locations of a plurality of vehicles with the selection ofthe geometric area and the date and time of the reported incident. Forexample, the offloading server 124 can submit a request to a StructuredQuery Language (SQL) database to obtain a list of vehicles that meet thesearch criteria (e.g., the vehicles in the map location data at the dateand time). As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, thecrosschecking identification can be performed using any methodologyknown in the art. For example, the crosschecking can include using thedata from heartbeat messages and status information; in particular GPSdata and timestamp data, from the remote surveillance systems 116 todetermine which vehicles were in a particular geometric area at aparticular time period.

Once the vehicles are identified, the offloading server 124 checks thearchives to determine whether the requested data has already beenoffloaded by the identified vehicles. For any of the requested data thatis missing from the archives, the offloading server 124 submitsindividual offload requests (e.g., tickets) to the appropriateoffloading agents 136 identified to be at the particular location duringthat particular time period (e.g., as provided by the searchedcriteria). The offloading server(s) 124 retrieve the requested dataoriginating from the offloading agents 136 for the one or more vehicleremote surveillance systems 116 identified as being located within theselected geometric area during the selected date and the selected time,the surveillance data having been recorded only at the selected date,the selected time, and from only the one or more vehicle monitoringsystems identified as being located within the selected geometric areaand outputting the retrieved surveillance data. In accordance with anexample embodiment of the present invention, the requesting userinitially reviews the results of the identified vehicles and optionallyremoves individual vehicles from the results. For example, an entirelist of vehicles matching the search criteria can be displayed to theuser and the user can remove vehicles that they do not want to receivevideo data from. The vehicles removed by the user will not receive anoffload request from the offloading server 124.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, therequesting user can monitor the status of their requested data on a userinterface. As would be appreciated by one of skill in the art, therequest status can include various forms of indication such as “inprogress”, “requested”, “completed”, or can include a percentage ofcompletion, or another form of indication known in the art. Once thedata has been identified and offloaded to the centralized surveillancesystem 102, the data can be provided to the user using any mechanismsknown in the art. For example, a copy of the offloaded data can beprovided to the user via an email or made available to the user on a webpage for download.

FIG. 4 depicts a method for fulfilling a request for data from theremote surveillance systems 116, in accordance with the presentinvention. In particular, process 400 depicts a method for fulfilling arequest for video data from a user defined geometric area at aparticular time. At step 402, the centralized surveillance system 102receives a request from a user for a video data captured in apredetermined geometric area selected on a map during a predeterminedperiod of time. At step 404, the centralized surveillance system 102queries the offloading server(s) 124 to identifies which video data fromwhich remote surveillance systems 116 corresponds to the requestedgeometric area at the predetermined time period. The querying processincludes crosschecking the location and timestamp information associatedwith all of the vehicles within the transportation system with therequested geometric area and time period. At step 406, the offloadingserver(s) 124 determined whether the identified video data has beenpreviously offloaded to the centralized archives. If the requested videodata has been previously offloaded then the process advances to step410, otherwise the process advances to step 408. At step 408, theoffloading server(s) 124 initiates a request to the offloading agents136 from the identified remote surveillance systems 116 to offload therequested video data. Once the video data is offloaded by the offloadingagents 136 the video data is recorded in the archives and advances tostep 410. At step 410, the requested video data can be provided to therequesting user from the archives.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary implementation of all of the inventivesystems combined within the overall system 100, as discussed herein. Inparticular, FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary system 100 for use with vehiclesin a transportation network. The system 100 in FIG. 5 includes thecentralized surveillance system 102 and plurality of satellite locationsystems 310 including the remote surveillance systems 116 and how eachof the elements relate to one another. Each of the devices includedwithin the system 102 include all the functionality as discussed withrespect to FIGS. 1-4, as well as the functionality discussed withrespect to FIG. 5.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thesatellite location systems 310 including the remote surveillance systems116 include the satellite vehicle agent 134 communicatively attached tothe local vehicle archiver 502, the video offloading agent 136, theEthernet switch 138, the data acquisition devices 140 via the Ethernetswitch 138, and the combined covert switch, foot switch, and status LEDdevice 514. The satellite agent 134 is also communicatively attached toother devices within the centralized surveillance system 102 locatedremotely from the satellite location systems 310. In accordance with anexample embodiment of the present invention, the satellite agent 134 iscommunicatively attached to the video offloading agent 136 via the localvehicle archiver, the mobile data terminal scanning software 512, andthe enterprise monitoring server 126. As would be appreciated by oneskilled in the art, the satellite agent 134 can be communicativelyattached to any combination of devices, software, and systems within thecentralized surveillance system 102 either directly or indirectly.

In accordance with an example embodiment of the present invention, thecentralized surveillance system 102 includes the video offloadingserver(s) 124, the data request software 504, the storage system 114,the PSIM Proxy 506, the event injection HTTP post proxy 508, thecorrelation engine and database 130, the vehicle rules 510, theenterprise monitoring server 126, the web server 132, the vehicle updatedispatcher 122, and the mobile data terminal scanning software 512.

Continuing with FIG. 5, the satellite agent 134 is configured to monitorthe covert and foot switches and control the status LED 514, triggeralarms via SDK, monitor health of the data acquisition devices 140,manage shutdown sequences, control onboard video display, monitoryconnectivity to the network for the system 102, and implementself-healing features. The local vehicle archiver 502 is configured torecord and serve video data and log alarms and bookmarks related to thevideo data. The video offloading agent 136 is configured to monitor forconnection to the offloading serve and offload alarm tagged video andevents.

The vehicle update dispatcher 122 is configured to automaticallydistribute software and firmware patches, track software and firmwareversion levels for each vehicle, and update vehicles as they areavailable online. The mobile data terminal scanning software 512 isconfigured to scan for vehicles in radio range, connect to vehicles andlaunch the client for connection to user devices (e.g., police vehiclesin range), and automatically download new vehicle IDs and passwords. Thedata request software 504 is configured to make requests for video to bedownloaded from the vehicles, and geo-search for video data based onlocation and time frame. The video offloading server(s) 124 areconfigured to monitor for connection to video offloading agent 136,accept offloaded video and events from the video offloading agent 136,and import video and events into the archives of the storage system 114.The PSIM proxy 506 is configured to monitor new alarm events and createPSIM events. The event injection HTTP post proxy 508 is configured toaccept new PSIM events via HTML posts and send received events to thePSIM correlation engine 130. The PSIM correlation engine and database130 are configured to pump events and process alarm/alert rulesaccording to the vehicle rules 510. The vehicle rules 510 are configuredwith watches for vehicle related event messages and create PSIMsituations.

The web server 132 is configured to provide real time health alertmonitoring, provide a GUI with live dynamic vehicle and fleet maps,provide live and recorded video streaming, receive user instruction fordevice rebooting, provide an executive dashboard, and vehicle servicetracking and history. The enterprise monitoring server 126 is configuredto supervise online presence of all vehicles, receive and report healthrelated messages from vehicles to the web server 132, provide automaticand user requested reboot of devices on the vehicles, providegeographical location tracking services, and monitor the CAD./AVLdevices on the vehicles.

Any suitable computing device can be used to implement the computingdevices 102, 104, 120, and 116 and methods/functionality describedherein and be converted to a specific system for performing theoperations and features described herein through modification ofhardware, software, and firmware, in a manner significantly more thanmere execution of software on a generic computing device, as would beappreciated by those of skill in the art. One illustrative example ofsuch a computing device 600 is depicted in FIG. 6. The computing device600 is merely an illustrative example of a suitable computingenvironment and in no way limits the scope of the present invention. A“computing device,” as represented by FIG. 6, can include a“workstation,” a “server,” a “laptop,” a “desktop,” a “hand-helddevice,” a “mobile device,” a “tablet computer,” or other computingdevices, as would be understood by those of skill in the art. Given thatthe computing device 600 is depicted for illustrative purposes,embodiments of the present invention may utilize any number of computingdevices 600 in any number of different ways to implement a singleembodiment of the present invention. Accordingly, embodiments of thepresent invention are not limited to a single computing device 600, aswould be appreciated by one with skill in the art, nor are they limitedto a single type of implementation or configuration of the examplecomputing device 600.

The computing device 600 can include a bus 610 that can be coupled toone or more of the following illustrative components, directly orindirectly: a memory 612, one or more processors 614, one or morepresentation components 616, input/output ports 618, input/outputcomponents 620, and a power supply 624. One of skill in the art willappreciate that the bus 610 can include one or more busses, such as anaddress bus, a data bus, or any combination thereof. One of skill in theart additionally will appreciate that, depending on the intendedapplications and uses of a particular embodiment, multiple of thesecomponents can be implemented by a single device. Similarly, in someinstances, a single component can be implemented by multiple devices. Assuch, FIG. 6 is merely illustrative of an exemplary computing devicethat can be used to implement one or more embodiments of the presentinvention, and in no way limits the invention.

The computing device 600 can include or interact with a variety ofcomputer-readable media. For example, computer-readable media caninclude Random Access Memory (RAM); Read Only Memory (ROM);Electronically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM); flashmemory or other memory technologies; CD-ROM, digital versatile disks(DVD) or other optical or holographic media; magnetic cassettes,magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devicesthat can be used to encode information and can be accessed by thecomputing device 600.

The memory 612 can include computer-storage media in the form ofvolatile and/or nonvolatile memory. The memory 612 may be removable,non-removable, or any combination thereof. Exemplary hardware devicesare devices such as hard drives, solid-state memory, optical-discdrives, and the like. The computing device 600 can include one or moreprocessors that read data from components such as the memory 612, thevarious I/O components 616, etc. Presentation component(s) 616 presentdata indications to a user or other device. Exemplary presentationcomponents include a display device, speaker, printing component,vibrating component, etc.

The I/O ports 618 can enable the computing device 600 to be logicallycoupled to other devices, such as I/O components 620. Some of the I/Ocomponents 620 can be built into the computing device 600. Examples ofsuch I/O components 620 include a microphone, joystick, recordingdevice, game pad, satellite dish, scanner, printer, wireless device,networking device, and the like.

As utilized herein, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” are intendedto be construed as being inclusive, not exclusive. As utilized herein,the terms “exemplary”, “example”, and “illustrative”, are intended tomean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration” and should notbe construed as indicating, or not indicating, a preferred oradvantageous configuration relative to other configurations. As utilizedherein, the terms “about” and “approximately” are intended to covervariations that may existing in the upper and lower limits of the rangesof subjective or objective values, such as variations in properties,parameters, sizes, and dimensions. In one non-limiting example, theterms “about” and “approximately” mean at, or plus 10 percent or less,or minus 10 percent or less. In one non-limiting example, the terms“about” and “approximately” mean sufficiently close to be deemed by oneof skill in the art in the relevant field to be included. As utilizedherein, the term “substantially” refers to the complete or nearlycomplete extend or degree of an action, characteristic, property, state,structure, item, or result, as would be appreciated by one of skill inthe art. For example, an object that is “substantially” circular wouldmean that the object is either completely a circle to mathematicallydeterminable limits, or nearly a circle as would be recognized orunderstood by one of skill in the art. The exact allowable degree ofdeviation from absolute completeness may in some instances depend on thespecific context. However, in general, the nearness of completion willbe so as to have the same overall result as if absolute and totalcompletion were achieved or obtained. The use of “substantially” isequally applicable when utilized in a negative connotation to refer tothe complete or near complete lack of an action, characteristic,property, state, structure, item, or result, as would be appreciated byone of skill in the art.

Numerous modifications and alternative embodiments of the presentinvention will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of theforegoing description. Accordingly, this description is to be construedas illustrative only and is for the purpose of teaching those skilled inthe art the best mode for carrying out the present invention. Details ofthe structure may vary substantially without departing from the spiritof the present invention, and exclusive use of all modifications thatcome within the scope of the appended claims is reserved. Within thisspecification embodiments have been described in a way which enables aclear and concise specification to be written, but it is intended andwill be appreciated that embodiments may be variously combined orseparated without parting from the invention. It is intended that thepresent invention be limited only to the extent required by the appendedclaims and the applicable rules of law.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are to cover allgeneric and specific features of the invention described herein, and allstatements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language,might be said to fall therebetween.

What is claimed is:
 1. A vehicle remote surveillance system, comprising:a plurality of components configured for mounting and operation in avehicle, the plurality of components comprising: a video recorderimplemented on a video recording device with a processor; a computingdevice having a processor, the computing device communicatively coupledwith the video recorder; a centralized surveillance system configureddistal from the plurality of components, the centralized surveillancesystem communicatively coupled with at least one of the plurality ofcomponents configured for mounting in the vehicle; wherein thecentralized surveillance system compares data confirming whether aseparate system that is not part of the plurality of components isoperating in real-time in the vehicle with data confirming whether thevehicle remote surveillance system is operating in real-time in thevehicle.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing devicecomprises a plurality of inputs and outputs.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the video recording device further comprises at least one datastorage mechanism.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality ofcomponents further comprises at least one accelerometer configured foroperation in a vehicle.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the separatesystem that is not part of the plurality of components comprises aComputer Aided Dispatch/Automatic Vehicle Location (CAD/AVL) system. 6.The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one video capturingdevice configured to stream video data to the video recorder.
 7. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a power controller configured tomanage power to at least one of the plurality of components in thevehicle remote surveillance system.
 8. The system of claim 1, whereinthe plurality of components being configured for mounting and operationcomprises the plurality of components being repeatedly operable intemperature ranges between −40° C. and 75° C.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the plurality of components further comprises a geolocationdevice.
 10. The system of claim 1, wherein the centralized surveillancesystem receives status information for the vehicle from at least one ofthe plurality of components.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein thecentralized surveillance system accesses available data associated withthe vehicle from the vehicle remote surveillance system and derived fromthe separate system that is not part of the plurality of components. 12.They system of claim 1, wherein the centralized surveillance systemverifies a real-time operating status of the vehicle based on acomparison of status information from the vehicle remote surveillancesystem for the vehicle and available data associated with the vehiclefrom a remote system and derived from the separate system that is notpart of the plurality of components.
 13. The system of claim 1, whereinwhen one of the plurality of components is triggered to send out analert notification, the centralized surveillance system receives thealert notification and records the alert notification.
 14. The system ofclaim 1, wherein when the centralized surveillance system records morethan a threshold number of alert notifications occurring within apredetermine period of time for one or more of the plurality ofcomponents, the centralized surveillance system outputs a service alertnotification.
 15. A vehicle surveillance system, comprising: aself-healing and recovery mechanisms component; a plurality ofcomponents configured for mounting and operation in a vehicle, theplurality of components comprising: at least one monitoring or sensingdevice; a computing device having a processor, the computing devicecommunicatively coupled with the at least one monitoring or sensingdevice; a centralized surveillance system configured distal from theplurality of components, the centralized surveillance systemcommunicatively coupled with at least one of the plurality of componentsconfigured for mounting and operation in the vehicle; wherein when theat least one of the plurality of components communicatively coupled withthe centralized surveillance system loses communication with thecentralized surveillance system for a predetermined period of time, theself-healing and recovery mechanisms component causes the system toreboot.
 16. The system of claim 15, wherein the remote surveillancesystem pings each of the plurality of components to check respectivehealth statuses on a predetermined periodic basis.
 17. The system ofclaim 15, wherein the at least one monitoring or sensing deviceperiodically transmits heartbeat data to the centralized surveillancesystem, the heartbeat data containing information indicating respectivehealth statuses of each of the plurality of components.
 18. The systemof claim 17, wherein the centralized surveillance system records theheartbeat data containing information indicating respective healthstatuses of each of the plurality of components.
 19. The system of claim15, wherein when the at least one of the plurality of componentscommunicatively coupled with the remote surveillance system losescommunication with the centralized surveillance system for apredetermined period of time, the self-healing and recovery mechanismscomponent causes the system to reboot.
 20. A vehicle remote surveillancesystem, comprising: a plurality of components configured for mountingand operation in a vehicle, the plurality of components comprising: atleast one monitoring or sensing device; a computing device having aprocessor, the computing device communicatively coupled with the atleast one monitoring or sensing device; a centralized surveillancesystem configured distal from the plurality of components, thecentralized surveillance system communicatively coupled with at leastone of the plurality of components configured for mounting and operationin the vehicle; wherein when the at least one monitoring or sensingdevice is triggered to send out an alert notification, the centralizedsurveillance system receives the alert notification and records thealert notification; and wherein when the centralized surveillance systemrecords more than a threshold number of alert notifications occurringwithin a predetermine period of time, the centralized surveillancesystem outputting a service alert notification.
 21. A surveillance dataacquisition system, comprising: a server configured to: receive aselection of a geometric area defined on a geolocation map, a dateselection, and a time selection; identify one or more vehicle monitoringsystems recorded as being located within the selection of the geometricarea during the selected date and the selected time, the one or morevehicle monitoring systems being dispatched in one or more vehicles;automatically retrieve surveillance data originating from the one ormore vehicle monitoring systems identified as being located within theselection of the geometric area during the selected date and theselected time, the surveillance data having been recorded at theselected date and the selected time; output the retrieved surveillancedata.
 22. A surveillance system, comprising: a user module comprising ageometric area selector on a geolocation map, a date selector, and atime selector; a web server that receives from the user module aselection of a geometric area defined on a geolocation map, a dateselection, and a time selection; wherein the web server identifies oneor more vehicles of a plurality of vehicles located within the geometricarea at the date selection and the time selection; an offloading serverthat automatically initiates requests to offloading agents for theidentified one or more vehicles to upload all surveillance data for apredetermined time defined by the geometric area, the date selection,and the time selection; wherein the offloading server receives thesurveillance data uploaded from the offloading agents of the identifiedone or more vehicles, the surveillance data having been recorded at theselected date and the selected time; and wherein the offloading servercommunicates the surveillance data to the web server, which outputs thesurveillance data.
 23. The system of claim 22, wherein the dateselection comprises a range of dates.
 24. The system of claim 22,wherein the time selection comprises a range of time.
 25. The system ofclaim 22, further comprising a status indicator for indicating an uploadof recorded video for each of the identified one or more vehicles.